Pilot controlled piston type filler valve



Sept. 27, 1955 c. L. SEEFLUTH 2,719,021

PILOT CONTROLLED PISTON TYPE FILLER VALVE Filed Nov. 7, 1947 25 I. I} H 5 55' g -49 2L- EM I8 INVENTOR.

CharlesLSezf/ufh United States Patent M PILOT CONTROLLED PISTON TYPE FILLER VALVE Charles Lew Seefluth, Bartlesville, 0kla., assignor to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Application November 7, 1947, Serial No. 7 84,673

2 Claims. (Cl. 251-25) This invention relates to cylinder filling mechanism particularly of the type suitable for automatic filling of liquid petroleum gas containers with a predetermined amount of liquid petroleum gas.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved, simplified and reliable supply valve as a part of such mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pressure fluid operated supply valve for the purpose in the form of a single compact unit of reduced cost and simplified and rugged construction.

Another object is to provide a valve of this type which simplifies the installation of the system upon platform scales of the type commonly used for this purpose.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a supply valve suitable for this purpose 'in which all of the parts thereof are arranged within a housing in axial alignment.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the attached drawings.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be described in detail below.

The single figure of the drawing is a vertical, central, cross-sectional elevational view showing the construction of a supply valve and attached indicator embodying the present invention.

This valve is an improved form of valve 25 of the copending U. S. Patent 2,545,118 of March 13, 1951, of T. A. St. Clair, Figure 1 of which patent shows the operation of filling L. P. G. cylinder 4 on a platform scale 5.

It is common practice in this art in filling L. P. G. cylinders or containers to provide a mechanism by means of which the empty containers are placed upon a platform scale and the liquid filled into the container until it holds a predetermined quantity by weight of the liquid, whereupon its reaction on the scale operates the supply valve to cut off the supply of liquid to the container.

In accordance with this invention this mechanism has been improved and simplified with special relation to the automatic pressure fluid operated supply valve to adapt the installation of the system on commercially available platform scales and to simplify the installation and improve the operation of such systems.

In the commercial use of cylinder filling systems of this type it is desirable to have accurately operating mechanism in that it should insure that the containers be filled with a predetermined quantity of liquid within reasonably narrow limits to insure that the user will get a full measure of liquid. In addition it is desirable to supply a mechanism of this kind which will fill the cylinder as rapidly as possible with a minimum of operator supervision. These requirements are met by the herein disclosed mechanism in that in practice the system has been found to fill a 100# cylinder, for example with 100# of L. P. G. within one-quarter pound tolerance.

This mechanism is capable of supplying such a cylinder Z ,7 19,021 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 with L. P. G. in 4% minutes from a liquid source at per square inch.

In the drawing the valve 15 is illustrated as comprising two housing parts 36 and 37 held together by means of screws 38. The lower end of the part 36 is counterbored to form a cylinder 39 having a vent 40. Slidably mounted in the cylinder is a piston 41 having an 0 seal ring 42. The piston 41 has a cylindrical extension 48 provided with 0 seal rings 49' so as to have a sliding fit with an exhaust passage in the valve part 36. This extension is provided with a peripheral groove 50 between the 0 seal rings 49, the diametrical passage 51 communicating therewith and the longitudinal passage 52 communicating with the diametrical passage. The lower end of the passage 52 threadedly receives a valve bushing 43 and in turn has a small central passage terminating in a valve seat, as clearly shown.

The valve part 37 has a central passage in the lower threaded end of which is mounted the threaded end of the housing 16. A slug or valve member 44 having valve discs at each end is slidably mounted'in this valve body. The inner end of the threaded extension of the housing 16 is provided with a seat for cooperating with the valve disc on the slug 44 at that end and a similar valve disc is provided at the other end of the slug for cooperation with the seat surrounding the passage in the member 43.

The upper end of the housing part 36 is counterbored and threaded to receive a bushing 35 in which an elbow 25 is mounted. A threaded port 24' opens into the space below the bushing 35into which-the upper end of the extension 48 of the piston projects. This end is provided -with a valve washer 49 which cooperates with a seat surrounding the passage in the bushing 35. Adjacent peripheral groove 50 in the piston extension is a threaded passage 32 formed in the valve body of part 36. Similarly a threaded passage 33 is provided in the valve body part 37 and opens into the central passage therein. I

The stem 17 has a central passage therethrough and is slidably mounted in the housing 16. Projecting from the upper end of the stem 17 is a headed pin 45 which extends loosely through the threaded end of the housing '16 to engage the slug 44, as shown. A compression spring 46 is mounted in the stem 17 and is engaged at its lower end by means of a threaded plug 47. The adjusting screw 18 threadedly engages the'lower end of the stem 17 and can be locked in any extended position by means of the lock nut 19. The passage in which the stem 17 slides is vented by means of the port 16'.

One of openings 24', or 25 is connected. to 'a flexible supply hose (not shown) which'is adapted to be attached to the cylinder being filled (not shown). The remaining one of said two ports 24', or 25, is connected to a supply of liquid being loaded, such as a tank of liquefied petroleum gas (not shown). Port 32' is connected to a supply of pressure fluid (not shown). The threaded port 33' is connected by means of pipe 33 to the indicator 34, which may be any fluid pressure gage known to the prior art.

In the operation of the device the adjusting screw 18 engages a moving part on the platform scale beam. Before connecting the cylinder to the supply hose, the beam is locked in raised position by means of a latch. The empty cylinder is placed on the weighing platform, and the supply hose from one of the openings 24 or 25 is attached to the filling connection of the cylinder. The scale beam is then released and due to the weight thereof its outer end will drop raising its lefthand or head end causing the stem 17 of valve 15 to be raised. The upward movement of the stern acting through the pin 45 will raise the slug 44 oil its lower seat venting the chamber in which it operates and the space below piston 41 around the pin 45 to atmosphere through the vent 16'. It will be later better understood that at this time piston 41 is in its uppermost position in the cylinder 39 so that valve disc 49 closes the passage in the bushing 35. However, the venting of the space below piston 41 in cylinder 39 will allow the piston 41 and connected parts to move down to the position shown. The passage of the member 43 is then sealed at its lower end by the valve disc on the upper end of slug 44. The fluid supplied through port 32 now exerts not net force on piston 41, because it is confined within the passages 50, 51 and 52. However, the liquid entering through 24 or 25, which ever the case may be, exerts a downward force on extension 48 and hence on piston 41, while chamber 39 is exposed to atmosphere pressure. Hence piston 41 is urged downward opening valve 49. The unseating of valve disc 49 will permit the supply of filling liquid to pass by the disc 49 to the flexible hose (not shown) into the container (not shown) to which the said hose has been attached.

This condition of the supply valve will be maintained throughout the filling period. As the liquid is filled into the cylinder its weight will increase and when it has received the quantity of liquid by weight predetermined by the adjustment of the scale, it will cause the lefthand or head end of the scale beam (not shown) and parts 17, 18, 19 and 45 to move downwardly. As a result the slug 44 will drop sealing the lower end of cylinder 39 by means of the sealing disc on its lower end, engaging the seat at the upper end of the threaded extension of housing 16. At the same time the passage in member 43 is opened at its lower end and the control pressure fluid will be discharged below the piston 41 causing it to move upwardly. The area of the piston 41 exposed to the control pressure fluid is relatively larger than that exposed to the pressure of the liquid being filled into the container, so that notwithstanding the fact that the pressure on this liquid may be greater than that of the control fluid, the piston assembly will move upwardly until the valve disc 49 seals the passage in the bushing 35. As soon as this occurs the supply of liquid to the container is cut off. The flow of pressure fluid supplied below the piston assembly will also pass in an obvious manner to the indicator 34, showing that the valve 15 is shut 011 and therefore that the cylinder is full. This is desirable because the operator is thus freed to supervise the operation of several scales at the same time.

Under the above conditions the outer end of the beam (not shown) will be up and the operator will lock it up in any suitable manner as by means of a latch, such as latch 12 of St. Clair. He then disconnects the flexible hose from the cylinder and removes it from the scale, replacing it with an empty cylinder to which the hose is then again attached. He then releases the beam so that it may swing downwardly at its outer end opening valve 15 as before to start the filling of the next cylinder. Throughout the filling period the pointer of indicator 34 is in the position shown, indicating that the cylinder is not yet full.

For a more complete disclosure of the system for filling containers by weight refer to the above mentioned St. Clair patent.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of this invention is capable of some variation, and I do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the illustrative example given but rather by the claims granted me.

What is claimed is:

1. A valve of the type described comprising a housing forming a cylinder and a first and second passage in axial alignment with each other on opposite ends of said cylinder, a piston enclosed in said cylinder, said piston having an extension passing into said first passage, a valve member on the end of said extension, said housing having a first liquid port communicating with said first passage, means forming a second port communicating with said first passage and a seat around said second port for cooperation with said valve member, said valve member controlling fluid flow through said second port, a third port in said housing for supplying a control pressure fluid into said first passage, a further passage in said extension and piston for supplying said control pressure fiuid to said cylinder, said housing having a fourth port for said second passage, a control valve member in said second passage for sealing said fourth port in one position, and for sealing the end of said passage in said piston in a second position, and means actuatable from the exterior of said housing for operating said control valve member.

2. In the combination of claim 1, said last means including an actuating stem having means for varying the efiective length thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 581,790 Symington May 4, 1897 608,955 Davey Aug. 9, 1898 660,294 Edwards Oct. 23, 1900 685,932 Nethery Nov. 5, 1901 996,346 Keen June 27, 1911 1,114,141 Houser Oct. 20, 1914 1,194,965 Darrow Aug. 15, 1916 2,064,343 Finley et a1 Dec. 15, 1936 2,124,811 Bennett July 26, 1.938 2,264,562 Bryant et al Dec. 2, 1941 2,387,894 Fannin Oct. 30, 1945 2,406,263 St. Clair Aug. 20, 1946 2,408,842 Garretson et a1 Oct. 8, 1946 2,544,734 St. Clair Mar. 13, 1951 2,545,118 St. Clair Mar. 13, 1951 2,617,444 Gardner Nov. 11, 1952 

